Not even sure if/what I use w/r/t iCloud, which should say something. The various incarnations/levels/integrations just confuse me, and when I update an OS and am asked to sign into things, I can't remember which does what. Which should say something about the product design, messaging, and mission(s).

I'm fine with iCloud. I think the key-value storage part is underrated because we never see it, but developers use it to sync preferences, etc (and it's easy to code). I don't use the document storage much because Dropbox conforms to me, instead of forcing me to file things by application. But docs that I start on an iOS device, mostly spreadsheets, live in iCloud.

John Willoughby – March 22, 2017 07:38PMReplyQuoteEngland expects that every man will do his duty. Ha-ha!

John Willoughby – March 24, 2017 05:46AMReplyQuoteEngland expects that every man will do his duty. Ha-ha!

And then there's the difference between "Two step authentication" and "Two factor authentication." Switching from the former to the latter was an enormous pain in the ass.

[EDIT]
Just checked, and I am still on "Two-Step Verification." Looks like it didn't take when I tried to switch months ago. Dammit.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2017 05:48AM by John Willoughby.

John Willoughby – March 24, 2017 06:42AMReplyQuoteEngland expects that every man will do his duty. Ha-ha!

OK, for anybody who isn't sure if they're on Apple's older, two-step authentication or the newer, two-factor authentication:

Easiest way to tell without logging into your iCloud account is if you see a map showing a location when you log into iCloud on a new device, you've got 2FA. If you just get a Message with your code to enter, it's two-step authentication.

I got messed up in set up because of all the codes it sends around. At the last step, it asked for a passcode. I had none. I had to call Apple Support before I could understand that it was asking for my phone's passcode. Which it then made my official iCloud passcode (not password) against my will. The only way to assign a new one is to erase my keychain across all my iCloud devices. Crappy system. So the passcode that I had on my phone (which, thank god, is more than four digits) is now embedded near-irrevocably in my iCloud security.

John Willoughby – June 28, 2017 12:56PMReplyQuoteEngland expects that every man will do his duty. Ha-ha!

Stealth upgrade... iCloud web-based email has had its rules enhanced somewhat. You can now mark mail read, once it is sorted or thrown in the trash. You can also sort stuff to the Spam folder, which I don't think was allowed before.

Again, the virtue of setting rules in the web version of iCloud is that they are applied across all of your devices, before any local rules are processed. Since iOS devices do not allow local rules, this is very helpful.

I wish that they would support rules as flexible as Gmail's, but at least it is a small step in the right direction.